Big Sur

By: Jack Kerouac, Aram Saroyan - foreword

Narrated by: Ethan Hawke

Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

A poignant masterpiece of wrenching personal expression from the author of On the Road and The Dharma Bums.

In this 1962 novel, Kerouac's alter ego, Jack Duluoz, overwhelmed by success and excess, gravitates back and forth between wild binges in San Francisco and an isolated cabin on the California coast where he attempts to renew his spirit and clear his head of madness and alcohol. Only nature seems to restore him to a sense of balance. In the words of Allen Ginsberg, Big Sur "reveals consciousness in all its syntactic elaboration, detailing the luminous emptiness of his own paranoiac confusion".

©1962 Jack Kerouac (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Dark

Well performed but dark story. Enough to make one consider give up drinking or at least be more careful.

Big Sur is beautiful.

Disgusting, green, madness is that. A warning to all the loafers to get out and do something useful.

It's Kerouac. 5 stars

E. Hawke was made to narrate Kerouac. What can I say, it's JK,
5 stars.

YES! PLEASE MORE

Dear Publishers: this is just amazing! Please keep producing more from Kerouac and keep up with Ethan Hawke, Hawke was born for narrating this- a match in heaven, pure inspiration transcended from Kerouac thru Hawke. I’m sad it’s over (Sur and Dharma Bums). Desolation or On The Road next pleeease.

Inside sounds of a madman

Kerouac got a lot of eye rolls out of me this time. Maybe it’s because his writing style isn’t that unique anymore. Hey it happened to the Beatles. Still amazing and entertaining.. but there will never be a better high than your first one. Furthermore, regardless of the bounty of good and bad Beatles or Van goph or Kerouac imitations, as important as the art itself was the vibe of the era of the art… fart bart simpson swampson Sampson Sampsonite.

The performance though?! Hawk slays.

Tragedy in paradise

Following Kerouac into his drunken tail spin is heart wrenching. You can almost smell the port wine is his ramblings. The narrator has the perfect indignant tone to capture Kerouac's paranoia. This is just a phenomenal story and very pleasant to listen to, albeit incredibly depressing.

Brilliant writing...

The writing is brilliant, but what is it about? Alcoholism? Madness? Hedonism? The poison of fame? Yes, pretty much... I had to keep reminding myself that his work is the archetype of this narrative style. He has been so imitated that the original almost feels like a pastiche. The narration is great and the language sounds wonderful with Hawke's narration. Maybe that's enough.

Dark, lonely, longing

Kerouac forever! Ethan Hawke is perfect, his reading is gravelly and animated. Also his reading of Dharma Bums, which is what I listened to first. I can listen to these recordings the way I play music, repeating and looping from anywhere, getting the stories mixed.

Frantic yet slow motion train wreck

You will be listening to an aging beatnick's descent into alcoholism, paranoia and despair. Well worth the listen but it's a long harsh ride you are on, so don't hold any illusions otherwise. Well worth the post "on the road" listen.

I can hear Kerouac thinking

Mediocre story that reads like poetry. Narration is so good it makes the worth listening to. in Ethan Hawks narration I can hear Kerouac thinking.